The parents of a 10-year-old Bronx boy who was killed by an allegedly speeding van while riding his bike are suing the city for $10 million for failing to install a speed bump. 10-year-old Michael Needham was riding his bike with friends outside the Allerton Library after school on June 5th, 2008 when the van struck him; he died after 19 days in a coma. The suit, filed Tuesday in Bronx Supreme Court, argues that the city should have known that drivers near the Allerton Library "regularly exceeded the speed limit, failed to obey stop signs, raced to make traffic lights and otherwise operated their vehicles in dangerous and unlawful manners."
In addition, Michael's parents are suing the Fire Department and Emergency Medical Service for $10 million for their "careless, reckless and negligent" response to the accident. They're also suing the car's owner and driver for another $10 million. Michael's father tells YourNabe, "The fact is, I lost a son because we didn’t have a speed hump there and I don’t want any other family to go through this. I don’t want this for my worst enemy."
Meanwhile, in Chinatown today, City Councilman Alan Gerson is holding a rally to denounce "dangerous conditions" caused by bike safety—the controversial Grand Street Bike lane, hated by drivers and business owners, loved by cyclists (and, unfortunately, pedestrians who think it's a footpath). Gerson is demanding that the DOT conduct more community outreach before deciding where to place bike lanes. Streetsblog scoffs, "Given that the bike lane was vetted by Community Board 2, which approved the project in a nearly unanimous vote last year, isn't this more like a demand to give small, vocal groups veto power over street safety projects?"
